<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Heist by BlitSnax</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063842">The Heist</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlitSnax/pseuds/BlitSnax'>BlitSnax</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fantasy, Science Fiction &amp; Fantasy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:42:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,297</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlitSnax/pseuds/BlitSnax</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Taseem must escape his former employer with his new friend.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Heist</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A short work based on one of my character's adventures before meeting with the party.</p><p>Any and all feedback welcome and appreciated.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Curses!” said Taseem as the portcullis clanged shut. “That's going to make things more interesting.”</p><p>“<em>Interesting?”</em> Questioned the Modron at his side, “<em>Impossible more like.”</em></p><p>“Well it was your plan, everything was going swimmingly before I met you. Now, quiet please, I need to think.”</p><p>The wizard scratched his head with long fingernails, drawing blood from the scabs under his flyaway silver hair. The trap appeared a simple one, the corridor led down to the lower levels of the keep, where access to the outside was possible, it was now blocked by a very sturdy looking metal grate. Back the way he came was the inner ward, comprising the vault, the chapel and lodgings for high ranking priests. And of course various guards who were no doubt on their way here. There was, by design, two choices, wait to be trapped or head back and get lost in the corridors. Either way, escape was impossible. There was a lever in the previous room that reset the barrier, but going to get it would leave one very exposed</p><p>“Fortunately, when you know the fundamental false fantasy of the universe as we perceive it in these fickle and fallible forms, becoming flummoxed by such fabrications is a finite improbability.”</p><p>“<em>I am not sure you used all those words correctly.”</em></p><p>“I told you to be quiet!” Taseem shouted at his companion, “I, unlike you, know what I am doing. It's a simple matter really, twist one unreality into another one and voila, an exit presents itself”</p><p> </p><p>Stretching his will out Taseem imposed an image of reality better suited to his needs, instead of a closed portcullis there now stood at the end of the corridor a small granite statue holding the grid of ironwork a full foot off the ground. A tight fit but enough to squeeze himself under. Then, drawing the shadows thrown off by the smokey torches lighting the corridor around his hunched and twisted form he pulled himself back against the wall.</p><p>Presently, as expected, a squad of guards came around the corner. Twelve of the fellows in their jet black mail and bone white masks, led by two mid level priests, smoothing their scarlet robes of office as they walked.</p><p>'Gotta look pretty now boys don't we?' Taseem thought to himself, resisting the temptation to cover the silken garments with dust.</p><p>“<em>Are we just going to stand here, is that your great plan then?”</em> Questioned his companion, which Taseem didn't dignify with a response.</p><p>“The gate sir!” Said one of the guards, pointing to the jammed portcullis.</p><p>“I see it, sneaky bastard” said one of the Priests, “grab the switch and lets get after him.”</p><p>“Do you really think the High Pr...” Started the second clergyman before being loudly interrupted by his colleague.</p><p>“..Ex-High priest! He lost the right to that title the moment he stole from us. How he rose to that rank is beyond me, but he obviously doesn't understand the tenant of honour amongst thieves.”</p><p>A series of loud clicks signaled the raising of the portcullis, Taseem ensured that his imposed reality acted accordingly, the statue rolling out of sight as it was released.</p><p>“Right, after him. Our Lord will reward us greatly for returning his property to the vault.” A gleam was visible in the priests eyes behind the black diablo he wore. Averice and ambition taking hold.</p><p>“I'll say behind and guard this area, in case he doubles back.” Said a voice from the rear of the group.</p><p>“A little cowardly, but an acceptable idea I suppose” scolded the lead priest, “the rest of you, with me” and fourteen masked figures marched down the corridor.</p><p> </p><p>Releasing the various spells he had cast Taseem quickly scuttled up the corridor and threw the lever, allowing the grate to fall with a crash. The symbols of devotion made identification difficult, it promoted an atmosphere of mistrust that kept everyone in line, but the roar of frustration echoing up the corridor was enough to confirm his suspicions.</p><p>“I may not be a high priest anymore Iram, but I'm still smarter than you.” He shouted, swirling shadows parting enough so Taseem's face was clearly visible to the half elf stranded on the wrong side of the corridor. Feeling smug he set off, cackling to himself.</p><p>“<em>That was not very nice, taunting him like that”</em> chastised the Modron.</p><p>“No, it wasn't. However it was very satisfying to show up that smarmy snake of a half breed.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Now what?”</em> came the mechanical monotone after Taseem had been walking awhile. “<em>Do you have a plan to get us out?”</em></p><p>“A plan? I haven't had a plan in years, not since the bakery went south.... Oh! You don't mean a retirement strategy do you? Shame, nobody every thinks of the future anymore, although considering the relative nature of the entropic entity we refer to as eternity that's probably a good thing. Thinking of the marvelous scope of machinations made possible by the minutia of possibility would drive anyone mad!”</p><p>“<em>That would be a no then?”</em></p><p>“Huh? Yes, it's no. But of course words are merely constructs to improperly articulate thoughts in an effort to confuse others. But why are you wanting to discuss the metaphysical ramifications of our quasi-existence now? We really should be figuring a way out of here.”</p><p>“<em>That is what I was asking you.”</em></p><p>“Well you're not doing a very good job of it, now hush.” Taseem tugged hard at his ragged beard, pulling out a handful of hairs as he went. “Guards, and even my former colleagues in the church shouldn't be too much of a problem, but by now Mask's Chosen will likely be after us and they won't be so easily fooled. Their training allows them to understand the malleability of perception better than most. I'm not worried though, time is by my side.”</p><p>“<em>Oh, very droll. I suppose you think that was clever?”</em></p><p>“I do quite, yes.”</p><p> </p><p>The problem with fortresses is that there is usually very few ways in, or out for that matter. And whilst Taseem had learned much in his six month tenure, he hadn't discovered any exit beyond those on the floors below him. Floors which, for now at least, were inaccessible. So, lacking any real options, he headed upwards. It had been long enough that the few clerics his former patron posed would have arrived by now, each one more than powerful enough to put a stop to his escape. If they could find him that was. Using secret passages between the walls the former high priest of Mask had managed to avoid most of the few guards prowling the upper levels. Simple illusions handled those he couldn't. He was stalking along the last floor, killing time after he noticed it was completely evacuated when the shadows he had bound around him started to twitch, something was coming through, Taseem readied himself with a smile. Suddenly the wall flexed and from the shadow created emerged a knife, thrust with murderous intent. Skimming off the semi-solid shadow matter around him the knife missed Taseem's heart and instead carved a gash across his left arm, slicing almost to the bone. Relasing the arcane energy he had held on the cusp of casting the black clad wizard caused all the torches in the area to flare bright, burning all their fuel in a single glorious second and then stuttering out. Taking advantage of the assasin's momentary blindness Taseem darted up the nearby stairs to gain access to the roof.</p><p>“Took you long enough!” He shouted behind him as he fled, “Making sure the bosses had arrived and secured the area were you? That's a good little Chosen.” Only coughs answered him as the corridor filled with acrid smoke from the extinguished torches.</p><p> </p><p>Erupting from the tower that served as access onto the roof with a giddy laughter Taseem skidded to a stop, both physically and vocally. As a semicircle of black masked assassins blocked his path.</p><p>“Really Taseem, you should know you can't outwit me.” A smooth and silky voice sailed out from the woman standing in from of the arc of Chosen. The high cleric, most powerful member of Mask's servants on any plane, was the only one not sporting a signature piece of head ware. Her face itself was her mask, a perfect oval, bisected white and black, with eyes the only feature one white, one black. It was, Taseem reflected, the most beautiful face he had ever seen, never marred by emotion, age or environment.</p><p>“Now, hand over the items and I promise your death will be quick. And unlike you, I keep my promises.”</p><p>“You ready?” Asked Taseem pulling an ornate clam-shell locket from his robes. Opening the clasp revealed a mirror one side and an intricate clockwork mechanism the other.<br/>
“<em>Ready for what?”</em></p><p>“Who are you talking to?” asked the woman facing him.</p><p>“Just a friend.” Replied Taseem honestly. “This is what you want isn't it.”</p><p>“Among other things yes.” and she approached, the assassins behind her gripped their daggers warily. Stretching out her hand she caught herself in the mirror and promptly disappeared.</p><p>“<em>Twenty Seconds”</em></p><p>That was about 10 more than Taseem needed. Using the Chosen's shock at the high clerics disappearance he moved rapidly towards the side of the building, chatting amiably to his gathered foes. “I guess she had some FUTURE arrangements... Anyway, it's TIME I was going... No? Nothing? Tough crowd.” And with that he stepped off the edge of the roof.</p><p> </p><p>Most people think of illusions as a sheet, something you put over the top of reality to make it seem different. If it's a really good sheet folks will be fooled and believe it exists, might even interact with it as though it is real. But those who know it's a sheet only see a piece of cloth, a fake no matter how convincing. Taseem on the other hand, he thought differently so as he stepped out over that drop of hundreds of feet to the courtyard below he was laughing. He fell maybe ten foot whilst he collected the weaves of magic around him and imposed his will on reality and landed, rather unceremoniously, on a dark, barely substantial bridge stretching from the walls of the keep, arching over the curtian wall and down into the forest beyond. He got up and started at a dead run. The chilling shout from the rooftop reached him after only a few steps, indicating the ethereal beauty had returned, not that she never really went anywhere, she was exactly where she was, she just hadn't passed through the <em>when</em> in between.</p><p>Woven from the very essence of the shadow plane on which this castle resided, this illusion was very much real, or at least as real as everything else. Taseem let it fade behind him as he ran, a stitch growing in his side. The Shadow Keep was built on a Nexus where the Plane of Shadow intersected with Niflheim. This gave it many very useful properties as a fortress, including the inability to fly, wind walk or teleport within it's bounds. The assassins on the roof were powerless to chase the fleeing wizard, some started shadow hopping away, but the range was limited, forcing them to work their way down through the keep first. Others fires missiles at the hunched figure, normal ones seemed to miss no matter the skill of the shooter, magical ones were seemingly absorbed by the shadows surrounding him. Within less than a minute Taseem was on the ground outside the castle walls and heading into the forest.</p><p> </p><p>Outside the protective confines of the keep the pervasive despair that marked this layer of Hades started to take hold of Taseem, his joints ached, his left arm was numb and dripping blood, and his lungs burned from the run.</p><p>“This is all you fault you know, I was comfy there. Now look, running through a forest to certain doom with nothing to look forward to except the cold embrace of eternity.”<br/>
“<em>Why did you rescue me then?” </em>Asked the Modron with no hint of sympathy.</p><p>“Oh, no, don't turn this around on me. You know full well I had no say in the matter. It simply had to be done.” Pulling the locket once again from deep within his robes Taseem looked at it intently. “See, you're counting down. That started when I picked you up, though it stopped now. What was I supposed to do, leave you there for someone else to find? Not likely sunshine, you are mine, always were. I just need to figure out why you are the first thing I've encountered since piercing the veil of illusion we call reality that is as real as I am. No, you are far too precious to leave behind.”</p><p>“<em>If you say so” </em>The voice in his head intoned.</p><p>“I do say so, now be quiet. The webs are around here somewhere and we need to find the portal before the fog rolls in.”</p><p>It didn't take long to find, spiders didn't live here, not enough prey, yet in this one spot, on the border of the nexus where shadow ended was a tiny little sliver of chaos. And that chaos was held between two great dead oaks in the form of a web, glistening silver in the gloom. Taseem knew it was a portal, though not to where. It's didn't matter, it wasn't here. Bracing himself with as much arcane power he could hold the wizard stepped into the gossamer strands.</p><p> </p><p>Somewhere, deep inside the workings of an ancient and unknown device, currently held in the unwashed robes of a mad wizard, a switched flicked, a gear turned and the was a barely audible tick-tick-tick...</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>